英语听力—环球英语 982 A Christmas Carol

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　　Hello and welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Nick Page. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

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　　‘You will be troubled by three spirits! Without their visits you cannot hope to avoid the path...'

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　　Over a hundred and fifty years ago, an English writer named Charles Dickens wrote a story for Christmas time. It is called ‘A Christmas Carol³'. It is a work of fiction - that is, it is not a true story. However, Dickens liked to use fiction to tell something of the teachings⁴ of Jesus Christ². Dickens said:

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　　‘I like to quietly lead the reader to those teachings - as the great starting place of moral⁵ goodness⁶.'

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　　In today's Spotlight, Marina Santee tells Dickens' story ‘A Christmas Carol'.

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　　It was the night before Christmas. White snow covered the streets of London. Everyone seemed happy... except for one man, Ebenezer Scrooge.

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　　‘Good evening Mr. Scrooge! Happy Christmas to you!'

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　　Scrooge turned to the man.

　　‘Happy Christmas? Bah humbug⁷!', he said, ‘What do you have to be happy about? You are poor! You are a year older and no richer. Leave me alone. I do not celebrate Christmas!'

　　The Christmas singers stopped quickly as old Scrooge got nearer. His long thin body bent⁸ over as he walked. Anyone who got in his way was sorry. They met with Scrooge's red eyes and poisonous words. Scrooge had no time for poor or needy⁹ people. He just wished that the poor people would die and decrease the population! He had only one love - money. He did not care that it was the night before Christmas...

　　Scrooge walked home quickly through the dark streets. Inside, he lit a small fire. But the cold air just did not seem to get warm.  Then Scrooge heard a strange sound. What was it? The sound got louder and louder. The door started to move. Scrooge began shaking with fear. What was happening?

　　Suddenly the door opened. And in came ... what? A man? A being? A ... a spirit? The spirit had the face of Jacob Marley. Marley and Scrooge had been in business together. Both men had loved money - and neither would help the poor. But Marley had died, this very day, seven years ago! What did he want with Scrooge now? The spirit spoke¹⁰.

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　　‘I have come to warn¹¹ you Scrooge. I was like you, I cared only for myself and money. And now I carry these heavy chains wherever I go. They are my punishment. But your chains will be much longer, Scrooge. You must change your ways and become a good man. Three spirits will visit you in the coming nights. The first will come tonight when the clock strikes one.'

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　　Then the spirit floated away.

　　Scrooge ran to his bed in fear. Maybe sleep would give him rest from his troubled mind.

　　Scrooge woke suddenly. He sensed something by his bed. He turned to look. It was the strangest thing he had ever seen. It had white hair like an old man. But its face was clear like a young child. A bright golden¹² light shone from the middle of its head.

　　‘What do you want with me?' Scrooge asked the strange spirit.

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　　‘I am the Spirit of Christmas Past.' ‘I will show you your past, and help you remember the things you have forgotten. Follow me.'

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　　The Spirit took Scrooge back to years before. Scrooge saw a young boy, alone. The boy was waiting for his family and friends. But they never came. Scrooge knew that boy's face well. It was him, Scrooge! A tear fell from the old man's eye as he remembered the pain of his lonely childhood.

　　The Spirit led Scrooge to another time and place. This time Scrooge saw himself as a young man. He saw a beautiful woman - his wife. He remembered her sadly. She had left him, because he had loved money more than he had loved her.

　　‘Spirit!', he said, ‘Please take me to another place. It is too painful for me to remember her.'

　　They left the place, and when Scrooge woke up he was in his bed as before.

　　Another hour, another Spirit. ‘I am the Spirit of Christmas Present.', it said. The Spirit transported Scrooge to the home of the Bob Cratchit. Cratchit was a worker in Scrooge's office. Scrooge made Cratchit work hard, and for little money. The Cratchits were a poor family, but Scrooge noticed how happy they were as they celebrated¹³ Christmas. But then Scrooge noticed Bob's sick child - Tiny Tim. Scrooge was troubled and asked, ‘Spirit, will this child live?'

　　‘He will not live if the future does not change what you see' answered the Spirit.

　　‘No, no' said Scrooge, ‘Oh no, kind Spirit! Say he will survive'. But the Spirit disappeared.

　　Scrooge looked up. He saw a dark spirit - the Spirit of the Future. He feared this spirit the most. What would he see?

　　The Spirit transported Scrooge once again to the Cratchit's house. Time had passed, and now this house was filled with sadness. Tiny Tim's place was empty. The family were crying. The boy was dead. Scrooge looked away in sadness and horror¹⁴.

　　Then the Spirit of the Future took Scrooge to another place. Scrooge saw people talking about a man who had died.

　　‘No-one will remember him', one said.

　　‘What will happen to all his money?' another asked.

　　Scrooge wondered ‘Who was this man?'

　　The dark spirit lifted its thin finger toward¹⁵ the place where the man's body was buried.

　　Scrooge read the writing on the grey stone. It read, ‘Ebenezer Scrooge.'

　　Scrooge cried ‘Please! I will change! I don't want to die yet... not like this! Please...'

　　But the spirit had gone. Scrooge opened his eyes in fear. He was back in his room? He was not dead. He was alive! He jumped out of bed. He ran across the room and opened the window. It was morning. He shouted into the cold winter air: ‘I'm alive!.

　　Immediately, Scrooge sent food to Bob's house. Scrooge thought, ‘Tiny Tim will eat well. I will make sure of it.'

　　Quickly Scrooge put on his clothes and went outside. Soft white snow was falling. He ran through the streets and shouted loudly, ‘Happy Christmas!'

　　People looked at him strangely. Was this Scrooge? Scrooge ran to the poor house and gave the people his money. He was alive! He had a second chance. And he was going to use it. For the first time in years he felt happiness. Amazed¹⁶, people watched as old Scrooge ran happily through the snow covered streets.

　　And what of Tiny Tim? Well, he did not die - and Scrooge became like a second father to him. And Tiny Tim has the last words of this Christmas story. He said ‘God bless us, every one!'

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　　The writer and producer of today's programme was Marina Santee. The voices you heard were from the United¹⁷ Kingdom. Computer users¹⁸ can hear our programmes on our website at www.radio.english.net. This programme is called: ‘A Christmas Carol.' From all of us at Spotlight, Happy Christmas.

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 Christ   

n.基督，救世主，耶稣

参考例句：

• I regarded him as the Christ.我把他当作救世主。
• Christ preached that we should love each other.基督在布道中说人们应该互爱。

3 Carol   

n.赞美诗，圣诞颂歌

参考例句：

• Silent Night is my favourite carol.《平安夜》是我最喜欢的圣诞颂歌。
• The people in the church are singing a christmas carol.教堂里的人们正在唱圣诞颂歌。

4 teachings   

n.教学( teaching的名词复数 )；教学工作；教诲；学说

参考例句：

• We must never be unworthy of our teachers' untiring and sincere teachings. 我们决不要辜负老师的谆谆教导。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The Party's teachings were ringing in her ears. 党的教导在她耳边回响。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 moral   

adj.道德(上)的，有道德的；n.品行，寓意，道德

参考例句：

• Moral beauty ought to be ranked above all other beauty.品德之美应列于其他美之上。
• He deceived us into believing that he could give us moral support.他骗得我们相信他能给我们道义上的支持。

6 goodness   

n.善良，善行，美德

参考例句：

• Would you have the goodness to turn off the radio?劳驾，请你把收音机关上好不好？
• Thank goodness,we've found a cure for the disease.好了，这病有救了！

7 humbug   

n.花招，谎话，欺骗

参考例句：

• I know my words can seem to him nothing but utter humbug.我知道，我说的话在他看来不过是彻头彻尾的慌言。
• All their fine words are nothing but humbug.他们的一切花言巧语都是骗人的。

8 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

9 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 warn   

vt.警告，注意，远离；vi.提醒

参考例句：

• I must warn you that my patience is almost at an end.我必须警告你我已经没有耐心了。
• If you warn me in advance,I will have your order ready for you.你若预先通知我，我就能给您准备好了。

12 golden   

adj.金的，含金的，可贵的，金色的，贵重的，繁盛的

参考例句：

• My teacher is an Englishman with golden hair.我的老师是一个金黄色头发的英国人。
• It's a balmy evening,the golden time for lovers.这是一个暖和的夜晚，是恋人们的黄金时光。

13 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

14 horror   

n.惊骇，恐怖，惨事，极端厌恶

参考例句：

• The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation.公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。
• The thought of working nights fills me with abject horror.一想到要夜间工作我就觉得惨兮兮的。

15 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

16 amazed   

adj.吃惊的，惊奇的v.使大为吃惊，使惊奇( amaze的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Just the size of the place amazed her. 仅仅地方之大就使她十分惊奇。
• I was amazed at her knowledge of French literature. 她的法国文学知识之丰富使我大为惊奇。

17 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

18 users   

用户，使用者( user的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The new software will prove a boon to Internet users. 这种新软件将会对互联网用户大有益处。
• Ramps should be provided for wheelchair users. 应该给轮椅使用者提供坡道。